Security Council considering move to lift sanctions on Sudan
By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) June 13 -- In a challenge to the United States,
Sudan's friends on the Security Council proposed Tuesday to lift
limited sanctions imposed on Khartoum to force it to hand over
suspects in the 1995 assassination attempt against Egypt's
president.
Sudan never produced the suspects, but says various inquiries
over the past four years did not find them in the country. In
addition, it says it has complied with other U.N. demands to
renounce terrorism and improve relations with its neighbors.
Many countries agree -- including Egypt and Ethiopia, where the
assassination attempt occurred.
But the United States, which lobbied hard for the sanctions in
1996, has shown no willingness to ease up against a country it
considers a sponsor of terrorism and believes the time isn't right
to lift sanctions, western diplomats said.
In fact, U.S. officials successfully canceled consultations
scheduled for Wednesday on the draft resolution circulated Tuesday.
by Mali, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sudan, however, has lined up a wall of support for its cause,
including the Non-Aligned Movement of developing countries, the
African Group and the Arab Group -- two U.N. regional blocs. All
three wrote letters to the Security Council earlier this month
calling for the immediate lifting of sanctions based on the
"positive and constructive efforts," made by Sudan to comply with
the resolutions.
Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Elfatih Mohamed Ahmed Erwa, said Sudan
would press for a vote on the resolution and challenge the United
States to veto it.
"It's a win-win situation," he said in an interview Tuesday.
The Security Council imposed diplomatic sanctions on Sudan in
1996, ordering U.N. members to reduce Sudan's diplomatic presence
in their countries and to restrict the movement of its officials.
Subsequent sanctions banned Sudanese planes from U.N. member
states.
The measures were intended to compel the Khartoum government to
hand over the gunmen who opened fire on Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak's car on June 26, 1995 while he was visiting Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia. The suspects were believed to have fled to Sudan.
The sanctions were never actively enforced, and never even had
an effective Security Council sanctions committee to monitor them.
But they nevertheless remain on the books.
Seeking to improve its international standing and take advantage
of current sentiment in the council to be more selective in the
sanctions it imposes, Sudan formally urged the council to lift them
earlier this month.
"We want to put the Security Council in a test of its
credibility," Erwa said.
In his June 1 letter formally requesting to have sanctions
lifted, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismael outlined the
steps Sudan had taken to comply with the U.N. resolutions,
including its efforts to find the suspects and the agreements it
has reached with Egypt and Ethiopia on the investigation.
The two countries, he wrote, "have express satisfaction with
the honest efforts made by the Sudan in this regard."
In addition, Sudan has signed every international convention on
terrorism, Ismael wrote.
But the United States still considers Sudan a sponsor of
terrorism -- a charge it repeated in its annual report on terrorism
released last month.
Washington launched airstrikes on a Khartoum pharmaceutical
plant in Aug. 1998, alleging it had links to Osama bin Laden, who
Washington accused of masterminding the bombings at U.S. embassies
in east Africa.
Sudan has vigorously denied the plant was involved and has
demanded a U.N. investigation -- a move the United States has
blocked.
Sudan is a candidate to join the Security Council as a
non-permanent member next year. Erwa said the move to lift
sanctions isn't related to its bid, although having the sanctions
cloud lifted would certainly improve its image as a council
candidate
______________________________________________
Khartoum wants to normalise relations with Washington
by Mohamed Ali Saeed
KHARTOUM, June 13 (AFP) - Sudan wants to normalise relations
with the United States, according to a leading government figure
speaking after a meeting here with US presidential envoy Harry
Johnston Tuesday.
Johnston is on a three-day visit to the country, primarily to
discuss an end to the civil war fighting and human rights in Sudan.
First Vice-President Ali Osman Taha said he voiced the hope that
discussions with Johnston would lead to "reshaping a new US position
that will help the US administration play a more positive and
effective role" in achieving peace in Sudan.
"The government accords maximum attention to achieving peace and
welcomes all efforts and initiatives to this end," he said.
Taha said he had informed Johnston of his government's
willingness to establish good relations with the US and to resolve
the standing questions that hinder the process of normalising
bilateral relations.
He said he they also discussed other possible coordination for
finding peace in southern Sudan, and another bid by Egypt and Libya
to help resolve all Sudanese problems, both in the south and the
north.
Johnston also met Justice Minister Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin who
told reporters that he had informed the envoy of his government's
seriousness with regard to improving its human rights record.
He said he had told Johnston that a committee is presently
engaged in revision of the controversial Public Order Act, its
tribunals and police force.
The committee is to formulate a new nationwide public order law
that, unlike the present one, will not confined to the capital while
the public order tribunals will be dissolved and public order
offenses be examined by ordinary courts, the Justice Minister said.
He added that the widely criticised practices by the public
order police force would be checked.
Yassin said Johnston was satisfied with an explanation he made
on activities of a governmental committee dealing with abduction of
women and children in war zones in south and southwest Sudan.
"The government has nothing to do with those abductions," said
the Justice Minister, adding that the committee included leaders of
the tribes in areas of the abductions.
The envoy is expected to see opponents to the government during
his visit.
On Monday he met Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail and Peace and
Reconciliation Committee representative Lam Akol.
After his meeting, Ismail again accused the US of bias in favour
of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) over peace talks for
Sudan.
"The United States supports the other party and offers it an
unlimited backing," he said.
"Washington is an important power and can play a considerable
role in reaching peace in Sudan if it rids itself of this partiality
and restores bilateral relations (with Sudan) to normal," he added. |
